The Prophet's City

Alhamdulillah.....I have made in home safely......from a journey of a lifetime....so much to say...so many tales to tell, experiences to record.......I don't even know where to begin....

I have been back for 13 days now and life around me, in a sense, has not changed. But somehow, things look different.....I can't explain it.....they just are.....

I have chosen to first write about Madinah Al-Munawarrah, the Prophet's City simply because I was there last before making my way to Jeddah for the flight home....

To visit Madinah is not a Hajj or Umrah rite, but the unique merits of the Prophet’s city, his Mosque and his sacred tomb attract every pilgrim to visit it. There is no Ihram nor talbiyah for the visit to Madinah or the Prophet’s Mosque.

Madinah is situated in central Hejaz. Red Sea is towards the west and Makkah is about 200 miles to the south.

Madinah was called Yathrib before Hijrah and came to be known as Taybah or Madinah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had great love for this city. He once said that "There is a cure for every disease in the dust of Madinah" (Al-Targhib).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself participated in the construction of His mosque, called it "My Mosque" and led prayers in it for years. He has also said that a salah performed in the Prophet’s Mosque is better than a thousand salats in any other place except Masjid al-Haram in Makkah.

According to Hazrat Anas, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has also said:

"The person who offers 40 prayers consecutively in my Mosque, without missing a prayer in between, will secure immunity from the fire of Hell and other torments and also from hypocrisy." (Musnad Ahmad)

I was sitting by the window in my room one afternoon in Madinah, watching the dwindling crowd of people returning from the Asar solah.

The sky was a vivid blue with no clouds at all. The air was serene, the atmosphere quiet. I could faintly hear the calls from the street vendors, urging people to buy their wares.

I could see women in their varied garbs and men in their jubahs. Buses carrying people from Mekah were slowly making their way to their respective hotels. Other buses were going in the opposite direction, taking pilgrims home.

I was completely at peace, contented, not worrying that I had a pile of clothes to wash before the next day or that I had to rush if I wanted to get a good spot in the mosque for Maghrib and Isyak. My roommates were urging me to get ready but I just wanted to savour for the briefest of moment......the City of the Prophet which will forever have a place in my heart....